Archive · 14 Sep 2026
HYROX Beijing Backlash Grows After Athlete Continues Despite Incontinence
Joanna Wietrzyk was racing in a HYROX competition in Beijing.
During the race, she had an embarrassing bowel accident.
She decided to keep racing instead of stopping.
Reports say she finished first in the women’s Pro event.
Other athletes said the course and equipment became slippery afterward.
Organisers closed some lanes and removed affected equipment.
They also cleaned and disinfected the venue and replaced the carpet.
People are debating whether she should have been required to stop.
Wietrzyk later thanked supporters and said she would return soon.
Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk reportedly suffered sudden bowel incontinence during the women’s Pro event at HYROX Beijing on September 12.
Wietrzyk continued through shared stations and won the race in 1:01:23, according to reports.
Videos showed her completing several stations with faecal matter visible on her legs, while other athletes said the surface became slippery.
Organisers closed affected lanes, removed contaminated equipment and waste, disinfected the area, and replaced the carpet overnight.
The controversy centers on competitor safety and hygiene procedures, while Wietrzyk thanked supporters and wrote, “a win is a win.”
- Who
- Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk, other HYROX competitors, and HYROX China organisers.
- What
- Wietrzyk continued and won a HYROX race after experiencing bowel incontinence, prompting complaints about contaminated surfaces and shared equipment.
- When
- Saturday, September 12; the supplied reports do not consistently specify the year, although one associated post is dated 2026.
- Where
- HYROX Beijing in Beijing, China.
- Why
- The incident led to debate over whether continuing the race exposed later competitors to hygiene and safety risks.
Continue Racing
Protect Other Competitors
Whether Wietrzyk should have continued
Continue Racing
Wietrzyk continued to the finish and presented the result as overcoming an embarrassing setback, later writing that “a win is a win.”
Protect Other Competitors
Critics argued that officials should have intervened or required her to withdraw once contamination affected shared race areas.
Effect on other athletes
Continue Racing
Supporters of continuing can point to the incident being a recognized risk associated with intense endurance exercise, rather than treating it as misconduct by itself.
Protect Other Competitors
Other competitors said contaminated surfaces became slippery and affected their performances, while online commentators raised hygiene and possible health concerns.
Organiser protocol
Continue Racing
HYROX China said it isolated affected lanes, removed equipment and waste, disinfected the area, and replaced the carpet before the event continued.
Protect Other Competitors
Critics questioned whether the response came soon enough and whether clearer rules should require a withdrawal in similar situations.
- Athlete
- Joanna Wietrzyk, an Australian competitor and reported current HYROX world-record holder
- Event
- HYROX Beijing, women’s Pro division
- Result
- Wietrzyk reportedly won in 1:01:23
- Reported world record
- 54:25, set in Warsaw in April, according to the article
- Incident
- Sudden bowel or faecal incontinence during the race
- Organiser response
- Affected lanes were closed, equipment and waste were removed, and the area was disinfected
- Further cleaning
- The venue underwent deep cleaning and the carpet was replaced overnight
